


Wilderness

by LuminousGloom



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Established Relationship, Full Moon, Love, M/M, Post-Second War with Voldemort, R/S Small Gifts 2018, Romance, Scotland, Surprises, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 10:58:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17202233
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuminousGloom/pseuds/LuminousGloom
Summary: With the December full moon imminent, an exhausted Remus just wants to get home. Sirius has a better idea.Written forRS Small Gifts 2018.





	Wilderness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shoebox_addict](https://archiveofourown.org/users/shoebox_addict/gifts).



> A big thank you to the ever excellent bshiat and shaggydogstail for the beta job.

In the overcrowded railway café, Remus sipped his tea, frowning at the Muggle paper someone had left on his table. All around him, excited travellers were chattering loudly, rearranging parcels and luggage, munching pastries, and peering through the plate glass window at the snowflakes whirling across the train platform. Remus felt the beginnings of that dull, heavy ache in his bones, the moon must be rising, almost full. He wished for the umpteenth time that he were just heading home. Why on earth had he agreed to go on this stupid outing?

Then he saw him. The tall, lanky man in a soft black coat had just stepped into the brightly lit café and was casually scanning the room. Remus’ heart still jumped at the sight of those finely cut features, those lively grey eyes. The flash of teeth when Sirius spotted him. Remus couldn’t help grinning, too, and heavily got to his feet. Picking up his old leather suitcase, he went to meet him by the door. 

‘Ready?’ Sirius beamed at him, snowflakes glinting in his dark hair.

‘I suppose so.’ Remus said and handed him the second steaming paper cup of tea. ‘Here.’

‘Oh. Lovely, thank you. I think our train will be here in a minute.’

They walked along the freezing platform, which was empty except for a handful of Muggles shivering in damp coats, stamping their feet, and impatiently checking their watches.

‘Did you get to take a look at the town?’ Sirius asked. ‘The view of the Grampians is amazing.’

‘Not really,’ Remus sighed. ‘I wasn’t even sure I’d make it in time. But Kingsley found me a Floo just up the road, in a flat owned by a Mrs MacLean. An old friend of Minerva’s mother’s, as it turned out.’

‘Really!’ Sirius chuckled. ‘What a disquieting thought. And how is our esteemed Minister?’ 

‘He sends his best. Did you come by Portkey, then?’ 

‘Two actually, from York via Stirling,’ Sirius said. ‘And I was glad to get out of London, to be honest. All the relentless Christmas cheer’s been doing my head in. They all seem to think I’d languish at Grimmauld Place without you if people didn’t constantly drop by. The place is thick with tinsel, and you can’t move for mince pies.’

Remus winced. ‘Is that why we had to take on this job straight away?’

‘Well.’ Sirius shot him a concerned look and cleared his throat. ‘The letter did say that it was urgent.’ He sounded almost apologetic. ‘The man is desperate, according to Mad-Eye. And I’m sure it’ll take us no time at all to sort out.’ 

Remus nodded grimly. ‘A haunted cupboard, did you say?’

‘Something like that. Apparently he owns a whole collection of curiosities, so I suspect it’s going to be some sort of cursed item…’ 

‘Right,’ Remus said, consciously unclenching his teeth. He’d take a dose of Pain Relieving Potion once they were on the train. 

‘I know it’s far, but at least we’ll get to Apparate back.’ Sirius shot him another sidelong glance. ‘How are you feeling?’

 _‘Fine.’_ It sounded sharper than Remus had intended, so he added a weary smile. ‘Fine.’

Sirius took a step closer, reached for Remus’ hand and pulled him in. They kissed, Sirius’ long fingers solid and warm on Remus’ cheek. With a sigh, Remus let himself nuzzle into the crook of Sirius’ neck.

‘I’ve missed you, you know,’ Sirius said gruffly, wrapping his arms around Remus.

‘Yeah.’ Remus inhaled deeply. Sirius smelled wonderful. There was a fizzing sound coming from the tracks. ‘There’s our train.’

\---

‘I wish you’d been there to help, actually,’ Remus said, once they’d settled into their seats, Remus had necked a dose of pain relief, and the train was slowly pulling out of the station. ‘Shapeshifting ghouls - really more your sort of thing. I was groping around for ages, trying to work out what we were even dealing with. And Kingsley kept introducing me to people as _an expert in the field!_ Cringeworthy doesn’t begin to describe it.’

‘Course he did, I mean, you are the expert,’ Sirius said. ‘Who else was he going to ask?’ He took a long swig of tea. ‘I would’ve liked to have been there, too. But you’ll be impressed when you see how much we’ve got done!’

‘Have you?’ Remus asked curiously. 

‘Yeah, Crooke and Mortar are every bit as good as Arthur said. Real diamonds. We’ve fixed all the brickwork, and put down the flooring, even the Muggle wiring is almost done… although you’d probably better give it a quick once over when we get back.’

Remus was grinning now. He loved how enthusiastic Sirius got about their new place, the derelict shell of what had once been a beautiful townhouse, in a wildly unfashionable part of London. As soon as they’d seen it they had wanted it, and were now making great strides doing it up. Neither of them could wait to leave Grimmauld Place behind.

‘Harry’s been helping, too,’ Sirius continued. ‘Not that he’s been much use, not after Tonks’ and Fleur’s Christmas party. I don’t know if we should be worried, actually. Lately he’s been half-cut almost every time I’ve seen him.’

‘Surely he deserves to let loose a bit, doesn’t he? And he’ll just be making the most of the festivities, before parenthood strikes.’ Remus shrugged. 

‘Maybe.’ Sirius squashed his empty paper cup into the small metal bin beneath the window. Outside, snowy fields sped past, ghostly white in the deepening dusk, and the Munro range looming in the distance.  
‘Would you like a drink? A wee dram, perhaps?’

Remus shook his head. ‘Not just now, thank you.’

‘Toffee?’ Sirius offered.

Remus made a face. ‘No thanks.’

‘Another cup of tea, then? Bit of game pie? Wild boar sausage?’

Despite his fierce headache, Remus couldn’t help grinning. ‘All right, why not,’ he played along. When Sirius actually produced a paper parcel of smoked meats from his coat pocket, Remus shot him a suspicious look. ‘What else have you got in there?’

‘Just a few things to make the journey more bearable.’ Sirius cut him a few ruby red slices of dried wild boar. ‘Or enjoyable, even. I’ve got a fat juicy saveloy in there as well, you know, to enjoy later… After all, on a cold night like this, there’s nothing like a hot sausage inside you.’

‘Right.’ Remus chuckled, chewing on the piece of cured meat, savouring its rich and earthy flavour. ‘Go on then, let’s have that drink.’

‘That’s my man.’ Sirius pulled out two glasses and a flask and poured them a drink each.

The whisky was mellow and peaty. Remus rolled a mouthful around his tongue before swallowing it, enjoying the smoky burn in his throat.

‘I’ve been thinking,’ Sirius said then. ‘Seeing as Moody keeps strong-arming us into these assignments, and the Minister of Magic himself relies on your expertise… perhaps we should just make it official.’

‘You mean, set up as an actual business?’ Remus took another swig of whisky. He felt himself relaxing into his seat. 

‘Why not? It’d be fun. We’d enjoy the challenge, it’d keep us occupied, and - anyway we’re sort of doing it already? Imagine, _Lupin and Black...'_ He gestured with a flourish. _'Curse breakers – always ready to help!'_

 _‘Always?’_ Remus said darkly, frowning at the bright, round coin of the moon, still low in the sky. ‘I’m not sure I’d be up to that.’ 

‘Yeah.’ Sirius sighed. ‘I’m sorry I said we’d deal with this one. Won’t happen again, not this close to the full moon. I promise. But think about it!’ He pulled out a piece of parchment, unrolling it to reveal a detailed floor plan of their new house. ‘We could turn the top floor into our office…’

As Sirius talked about desks and instruments and implements, and where to move the library, Remus’ mind drifted off. He noticed that the drawing had changed since he’d seen it last. Previously blank areas had been shaded in. Sirius and those two contractors must have achieved a great deal in the past few days. 

His eyes followed Sirius’ elegant, impatient scrawl, detailing the purpose of each room – _Kitchen, Bathroom, Library. Harry’s Room,_ because no matter that Harry was starting his own family elsewhere, Sirius had insisted that Harry would always have a room in their house. They’d talked about the parties they were going to throw in those large reception rooms, and that they’d make their spacious bedroom so comfortable they’d never want to leave it. Not that it would take very much, Sirius had joked, to entice a man who’d spent so many nights sleeping rough, or in a cave, or on a prison floor. _Just our own bed,_ he’d said. _And you in it._

Suddenly beyond exhausted, Remus let his head drop onto Sirius’ shoulder. The Pain Relief Potion had kicked in, and his body felt warm and heavy. He placed his hand on Sirius’ thigh, squeezing gently, and closed his eyes.

‘Moony?’ he heard Sirius asking softly. Remus smiled.

\---

It was not even five o’clock but already pitch dark when they caught the ferry from Mallaig Harbour. The moon hung large and heavy, shining like a lamp. An icy wind whipped across the water, the wooden boat rolled and creaked. Warmed by a Heating Charm, they were the only people on deck, trying to make out the imposing shapes of the Isle of Skye to their left, and Luinne Bheinn and Meall Buidhe to their right.

‘Nice, isn’t it?’ Sirius asked quietly, slipping his hand into Remus’ coat.

Remus nodded, looking up at the stars. He wished they weren’t going to have to deal with some blasted client. The air was so crisp, and the land smelled of wet rock and salt and lichen, of wilderness. Remus felt himself growing strangely restless, and excited. The wolf, perhaps. Always trapped in buildings, and amongst people. This was the sort of place the wolf liked. 

A Muggle car was waiting for them when they arrived. Remus would’ve preferred to walk, but he got in the car. Staring out of the window into the darkness as they left the tiny village and crossed into the hills, he let Sirius make awkward small talk with the cheerful driver. He wondered why their client hadn’t picked them up, why the man would’ve involved Muggles. None of it made any sense.

The driver dropped them off at a dark and lonely cottage in the middle of nowhere. Once out of the car, Remus inhaled deeply, tasting the air. He looked around at this empty, moonlit landscape, covered in snow. The sea was roaring and crashing onto the beach at the bottom of the hill, he could make out a sprinkling of lights in the distance, on what must be Skye. Now that the car had left, there was no sign of any people here at all, Wizarding or otherwise. And yet the night was rich with sounds. 

Sirius lit his wand and murmured ‘Accio keys.’ He walked up the two steps to the front door and proceeded to unlock it. 

Remus cleared his throat. ‘Sirius?’

Sirius turned to face him, his eyes wide.

‘There is no client, is there.’ Remus stated the simple fact.

‘No,’ Sirius said sheepishly. ‘There isn’t. I’ve made him up. This was meant to be a surprise. Surprise!’ He grinned, before taking a deep breath. ‘You see, I thought if we came here, then – perhaps - you could give the Wolfsbane a miss tomorrow. For once.’ He gestured at the snowy expanse surrounding the cottage. ‘There’s no one here, and we could run free. Like in the old days.’

Remus was staring at him. ‘You’ve - you’ve organised all this? Just for -?’

Sirius swallowed. ‘Best times of your life, remember?’ He was grinning again. ‘And just wait till you see this place. There’s a hot tub, and champagne, everything...’

Remus didn’t know what to say.

Sirius took a step towards him. ‘I’m sorry I’ve lured you here under false pretenses,’ he said quietly. ‘I was hoping you’d like it.’

‘Yeah,’ Remus croaked. Then he stepped up to Sirius and gathered him into a fierce hug. ‘I love it.’ Breathing in Sirius’ scent, he felt his own blood roaring in his ears, and tingling in his veins. ‘Thank you,’ Remus said, blinking up at the sky. The moon only went blurry for a second. There it was, cold and round, and beautiful.

 


End file.
